izigame.me

The following review is totally spoiler free. That being said, let me start by saying that if you haven't played Cold Steel 1 to 4 before, you shouldn't be there, as this is basically the conclusion of the Cold Steel series (and of the crossbell series as well). Shoo shoo, even if my review doesn't spoil you, staying around here will get you spoiled pretty quickly so get moving.
This game is a bit like Sky 3 as it's more action / side content focused and less main story focused than other games in the series, but it may actually be the best game we've got in the series since Azure.
+ the 3 story paths idea is good and a breath of fresh air in the otherwise very linear narrative of this series.
+ Some of the new characters, mainly Lapis and Nadia, are probably some of the best cast addition since the crossbell games
+ it's the best itteration of "post game dungeon crawling" the series has, and by a tremendously large margin. This time around it really has all the necessary features that makes such "grinding" actually satisfying.
+ It's the best gameplay we've got in the series before all the Daybreak imrpovement, and there's tons of valid gameplay and character build choices. Some are OP as usual, but you don't really feel restricted, as lots of build types and options feel rewarding, you can really pick those you like and roll with it. No "you have to do dodge tank and blablabla" or whatever even at highest difficulty.
+ We're actually not having that many motivational speeches by the protagonist, finally!
+ There's actually quite a nice improvement in cutscene animation over the previous games. Daybreak is again vastly superior, but it's not the same engine.
+ lots of side content post games that brings closure for characters that needs it(like a 1hour + long post game "daydream" for Ashe for example), and tease / make a bridge towards Daybreak.
All in all, I wasn't really especting a lot from this entry in the series since I knew it was more of a sky 3 like entry, especially after a mostly disappointing Cold steel series, but I ended up being quite entertained and interested in the various story parts that this game provided. Also, having played most of Daybreak 1, there's an unexpectedly high amount of references and connections between Reverie and Daybreak 1. In fact, i would go as far as saying that this is, in fact, the most relevant game to have played before playing Daybreak 1. Which again, I really wasn't expecting. So definitely worth the playthrough.
Now that it's all done and said, very specific rants incoming :
- Whoever designed the trial doors needs to reflect on their design choice, for real. Just randomly picking a theme that some playable characters share to form a group, and then picking one or several enemies that is/are related to that group of characters; and just having said enemy(ies) having its(their) normal attacks with (post end game) just random one shotting SCraft being fired added to that, without any consideration of balance or strategy available with the group being created nor any synergy / possible counter play against the enemy they're being put against is like the most braindead way of making a trial. It's not fun, and it's utterly disappointing. TIPS btw for anyone struggling : just boost the HP of all your characters so that the SCRAFTs won't kill them in one hit and voilà. It's that stupid, if you do that it's a cake walk, if you don't many of them will be very painful.
"trial", my a**. Luckily those trials are literally representing 0.1% of the game and pretty much unnecessary if you really want to skip them, especially the problematic ones that are all post end game.
- I like the fact that any enemy with an Scraft can use the "free craft" turn bonus to SCraft your ass for free, just like I like that they can use the free spell as well, as usual, BUT.
For the love of everything if you're going to do that Falcom, do NOT allow those two bonuses to be on the first combat turn. Literally having the enemy getting the first turn on that and either S craft your ass or unleashing a 6S strength map wide instant Lost Art for free on your group is the dumbest way ever to have a group wipe against a boss, and I saw that happen several times. You literally can't do a single thing before having up to 4 character dead since they will instant do it the very fraction of second the starting combat sequence is over, SMH my head...
- Missing 3 achievements in total because you've missed one single damn chest out of 203 in the game is a bit severe of a punishment achievement wise, don't you think SMH my head my head.
PS : if you ever feel useless, remember that the craft Purity Ray exists. With 40 CP cost D power in a game where top crafts can go SS/SSS and that on top of this it has literally NO BREAK VALUE NOR UNBALANCE %, i'm pretty sure that the only reason it has a blind effect on the enemy is because they're covering their eyes out of second hand embarassment for you whenever you cast it. Don't use it, unless you want to see the enemies laugh at you. It's literally the worst craft ever made in 10 games, I'm pretty sure of it.